Learning
by petthekat
Summary: April's roommate may be new to the turtles, but when it comes to Mikey, they may as well have known each other for years. Fun little one-shot set a year after Therapy. Raph/April, Mikey/OC. Rated for very mild swearing.


Author's Note: Hey guys! So I'm getting ready for my Donnie Fic (which will be un-related to Therapy), but I thought I would write this one-shot in the meantime. I remember a lot of people enjoyed Mikey's scenes before, so here he is meeting Melanie, April's roommate, for the first time. Keep in mind, April and the turtles are around 18-19 at this point, if Mikey seems just a touch less silly than normal. Set one year after the end of Therapy.

This has no plot and no purpose. I apologize for nothing.

* * *

Melanie Hayes tapped her chin. "Hmm," she murmured, eyes roving the back of the moving truck. She stood that way for a few minutes, only snapping out of her thoughtful perusal when a gruff voice sounded behind her.

"Ya thinkin' real hard there, Melanie?"

A glance over her shoulder revealed the mutant turtle she'd met only a few weeks ago. Melanie grimaced and turned back to the pile and boxes of furniture, all of which shifted as Raphael jumped into the back of the truck and carefully selected the heavy boxes filled with April's massive amount of books. "I'm strategizing," she told him with a long suffering sigh.

April's boyfriend grunted in her direction. "Well, do it faster. You're in the way," he heaved two heavy boxes into his arms and side-stepped her.

Melanie smirked. "You're a real prince charming, you know that?"

"'Course I do," he responded with a grin, hopping off the back of the truck easily. Melanie smiled and shook her head. April had been _so _nervous to introduce them, but really, living in New York had afforded Melanie plenty of glances at mutants and other craziness. To be honest, the most startling part of the whole meeting with Raphael was the fact that April had managed to keep him secret for so long. Her best friend was a terrible liar.

Finally deciding on a box marked for the living room, Melanie hefted it up into her arms and turned to shuffle carefully down the ramp. The blue turtle - Raphael had introduced him as _Lame-o-nardo_, but he'd politely asked her to call him Leo- passed her with a cordial nod. He was a strange one, she had decided. Far quieter than April's boyfriend, with a sort of serious disposition that Melanie would never understand. "Do you want me to take that?" he asked, gesturing to her box.

Melanie quickly shook her head and hopped down to the ground. "I got this one, it's light. Thanks, though!" She carefully stepped around Casey Jones, who was saying something to Raphael about the time he had before he needed to get the moving truck back to the rental place.

"Thanks again for driving it, Case," April said off to the side, where she was shifting a box of pots and pans in both arms. Casey winked at Melanie - to which she rolled her eyes - and then snickered.

He rolled his eyes, "Well, I wasn't about to let you ladies drive it. Your shit would be all over New York."

Melanie stuck her tongue out at him and pushed through the backdoor of the townhouse, quickly dropping the box in the first available spot. She took a moment to glance around the open living room and kitchen area, and not for the first time today, she beamed at no one in particular. It was such a _nice _place, so much better than anywhere she could have afforded on her own. And about a million time better than the dorm. Now that she and April were finished with their freshman year at NYU, they didn't have to live on campus anymore. Thank a sweet merciful God.

"This place is going to be perfect," April appeared beside Melanie and looped an arm around her neck.

Melanie grinned and returned the embrace, pulling April against the kitchen island. "It better be," she laughed. "Geez, it took us forever to find a place that was Over-Protective Boyfriend Approved." She jabbed a finger in Raphael's direction as he entered and dropped a box with a thud.

Raph grunted, "Hey, it's not my fault you two wanna rent places in Purple Dragon territory. You oughta' pay more attention to the news. Stop readin' your girly magazines all the time." He wiggled his fingers at them.

"Is that what girls do?" Melanie asked April with a giggle. They mimicked Raphael's motion to each other and the turtle rolled his eyes at them.

"Come on, it's already getting late. Let's get this finished," the redhead told Melanie, who groaned and then shuffled back outside.

"I'm going to need a hot bath and a glass of wine after this," Melanie muttered, moving past the others to the truck once more. She blindly grabbed a box and moved to trudge back inside, but no sooner had she stepped over the doorway than her foot caught and she tumbled forward. "Ack - "

"Whoa!" A hand suddenly jumped under the box in her arms and lifted it up, catching Melanie at the elbow to keep her upright. An unfamiliar laugh sounded on the otherside of the box and Melanie straightened to peek over the edge.

Blue eyes.

Melanie lowered the box and tried to resituate it, but the owner of the pair of eyes - framed in orange - took it from her grasp and moved back in through the doorway. April reappeared at her side. "Oh, hey, I almost forgot you two haven't met yet!" her friend piped up, and Melanie stepped into the townhouse kitchen just in time to see yet another mutant turtle straighten from where he'd lowered the box to the floor. When he was eye-level again, Melanie saw that he was smiling.

"Melanie, this is Raphael's youngest brother," April gestured with a grin.

"Hi," the turtle said, his head tilting just a bit. "I'm Mikey." He waved a three-fingered hand, and the innocent gesture made Melanie's smile widen.

"Um," the brunette pressed a curl behind her ear and laughed, quickly avoiding a curious look from April. "I'm Melanie," she managed finally. The three of them paused before Melanie spoke again. "Mikey, huh?" she repeated. "Is that like, short for Michael?"

"Uh, close," the turtle grinned. "Michelangelo."

"Oh, wow." Melanie said, surprised. "That's a mouthful."

Casey Jones stepped towards the kitchen door from outside. "Yeah, that's what she sa - " A flick of Melanie' wrist shut the door in his face.

Mikey and April snickered, giving Melanie a brief respite to study the orange-banded turtle. He was certainly smaller than Raphael or Leo, but still stood a good three inches taller than Mel or April. And like his brothers, he wore only the strap for his weapons and a mask. Melanie hadn't really paid much attention to the other two, but now she realized they all shared essentially the same heavily muscled physique - even the smiling, boyishly friendly turtle in front of her had biceps to spare. _Wow, he's like the After picture on those Chuck Norris commercials, _she thought idly, and then her mind ran off on a tangent of who would win a fight, the turtles or Chuck Norris.

April cleared her throat pointedly to the side, making Mikey and Mel jump in surprise. "Uh, guys," April tried to hide a smirk. "We need to get to work."

"Right, yeah, totally - " Melanie jumped up and hurried outside again, where she had to apologize to Casey for hitting him in the face with a door. April interrupted the vaguely sincere apology by knocking shoulders with her friend.

"What was that all about?" she asked teasingly.

"What?" Melanie hefted up a box and turned back to the ramp, hoping her curly hair would hide her flush.

April rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about. You were practically _shy _with him."

"No one has ever, in my whole life, described me as shy, April." Melanie pointed out with a raised brow.

"Exactly," her friend agreed. "Which is why that was so weird. I mean, you weren't like that with Raph or Leo..."

"I wasn't _any _way!" Melanie argued in a hushed whisper, quickly ducking away as soon as they entered the kitchen, even going so far as volunteering to move some of the boxes upstairs to get away. Her friend's laughter followed her all day.

* * *

When a knock sounded at the door, Melanie nearly jumped out of her skin.

_Eugh_, she thought to herself. Two weeks in this place and she was still creeped out at every little sound. Living in a new place was weird, nevermind the fact that she'd been totally alone all evening and she was convinced their neighbor to the right was a collector of shrunken heads. Melanie jumped up and peered cautiously at the back door, one hand reaching down to dust crumbs off her pajamas. A quick glance through the kitchen window, though, allowed her a sigh of relief. Melanie opened the door.

"Hey Mikey," she said, and she realized now that she hadn't seen him since they'd moved in. A hand itched to jump to her hair - Oh, god, she looked like hell - but she kept it firmly at her hip. The youngest turtle smiled at her and she secretly wondered if he was ever _not _smiling.

"Hey Melanie," he said easily. "Uh, sorry to bother you. Raph left his T-Phone at home so I came to give it to him." He waved the peculiar device in his hand. Melanie glanced over her shoulder to the darkened living room and smiled sympathetically.

"Sorry, Mikey. Raph and April left for their _special date _about twenty minutes ago," Melanie pointed. "You can leave it here if you want and I'll give it to him when they get back, though."

"Yeah, sure." Mikey handed her the phone, stepping just inside the kitchen. Melanie tossed it on the counter next to one of Raph's magazines. He didn't live with them, of course, but his precense was everywhere.

"Yeah, I think they're going to be out for a while," Melanie told him and scrunched her face. "You should have seen Raph when April came down the stairs, all dressed up in this cute outfit I picked out for her. I'm going to have to leave the house when they come home, they are going to be _so loud._" Michelangelo seemed to take a moment to process this, and then suddenly he made an exaggerated (or maybe not so exaggerated) gagging noise, gasping for breath.

"Gross, Melanie! I could have lived like, twenty lifetimes without hearing that, oh god - "

Melanie burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think about him being your brother," she snickered, watching as Mikey let his face fall with a thunk on the kitchen counter.

He groaned, "I need to think about something - _anything _\- else." Melanie grinned as the turtle sucked in a deep breath. "So what're _you _up to, which, I hope does not involve Raph in any sorta way," Mikey asked, his brow ridges furrowed.

Melanie glanced behind her at the living room again. "You know, I could lie, but I won't," she made a face. "I'm playing Battle Rage in my pajamas and eating peanut butter." Melanie popped a spoon in her mouth pointedly and shifted her jar of Chunky into view. Mikey jumped so suddenly it nearly startled Melanie into swallowing her utensil.

"Battle Rage? As in - on _console_?" He peered around her, blue eyes wide. "But you can't be a gamer!"

"Why not?" Melanie asked, moving back into the living room, peanut butter in hand.

"Because you're a girl!" Mikey exclaimed. The girl in question squinted at him.

"So? You're a turtle." Melanie smirked around her spoon.

Mikey laughed suddenly, and the noise was so boyish and silly it made Melanie laugh, too. "Good point," he conceded.

Melanie dropped into a low rocker covered in leopard-print. "I even have my own gaming chair," she waggled her eyebrows, smoothing her hand over the side. She reached over and picked up the second controller. "Wanna play?"

"Psh," the turtle eyed her television. "I'd hate to school you on your own console."

Melanie's lips dropped open. "Um, _what_? You are looking at the _Queen _of Battle Rage, good sir. And you are in my kingdom." She tossed the controller at him. "Get down here and put your money where your mouth is." Which was how, almost two hours later, Michelangelo lost all his gaming self respect and Melanie danced around the living room with her victory jar of peanut butter.

"YES! I told you!" she exclaimed over the sound of Mikey's agonized whines. "I win! Say it, Mikey!"

"I won't do it!"

"Say it! Melanie, you are the Queen of Battle Rage and I am but a humble and lowly peasant in your kingdom!" She dropped to her knees and prodded his plastron. "Say it!"

"MELANIEISTHEQUEENOFBATTLERAGE!" he rushed out, giving yet another strangled groan before continuing in a mumble. "And I'm like, a farmer or something."

"Close enough," Melanie snickered, pausing in her verbal beatdown long enough to glance at her phone. "Ooh, it's April. Let's see.." she scrolled through her texts. Mikey peered over the edge of her screen. "Yep," Melanie popped the last sound. "Definitely the nice April way of asking me to get out or ignore the sounds of - "

She pointed upstairs, in the direction of the bedroom.

"Don't!" Mikey shrieked. "Don't put those images in my head again. I may never recover." He dragged his hands down his face. "Burned into my braaaaaaaaain.."

"We should go somewhere then," Melanie said matter-of-factly, closing her phone with a snap.

She watched the turtle as his face shifted thoughtfully. "Hey," he exclaimed. "I know an easy way to sneak into the Eastside Skate Park. I even have my board with me."

"I don't know how to skateboard," Melanie admitted ruefully, completely unsurprised when the orange-clad turtle beamed at her.

"That's okay, I'll teach you." Melanie raised a brow at him, her lips quirking. "Have you seen me try to walk, Mikey? I'm only just coordinated enough to be considered bipedal. Everything else is extra."

"I'll teach you, I promise. I've been skateboarding for as long as I can remember," he told her adamantly, hopping up and offering her a hand. Melanie bit her lip and tried unsuccessfully to press back a smile.

She took his hand and jumped up.

* * *

The summer had settled nicely over New York, not yet churning out the insufferably high temperatures that plagued it during its peak points. Instead, the night air was warm and windy, without a hint of humidity. "I can't believe we're doing this," Melanie whispered, and Mikey laughed in response as he carefully shifted through the break in the fence.

"I come here all the time," he whispered back, leading her through the dark concrete alleyways that lead to the skatepark. Melanie could hardly see, but apparently Mikey knew his way well enough, because soon enough they were bypassing a locked gate and stepping into a very dimly lit area. A quick inspection of the concrete structures revealed ramps, a half-pipe and a large bowl. There were also plenty of rails and other obstaces Melanie couldn't name.

Mikey broke away from her for a moment and, seconds later, a single light clicked on and illuminated a small area for them. His silent reappearance right in front of her nearly sent Melanie to the ground. "Holy hell, you are quiet," she muttered, straightening from her crouch. Mikey gave her an amused shrug before dropping his board in front of him and catching it beneath his feet. He jumped it side to side, switching his hips this way and that.

"You wanna try?" he asked enticingly, waggling his eyebrow ridges.

Melanie giggled. "How about I see you do some stuff, first?"

"Sure," he agreed easily, pushing down one foot and taking off. Melanie watched, lips parted in surprise, as he dropped down into the bowl with a yelp and darted around the edges, leaving the ground entirely and then spinning through the air until he dropped back down smoothly again.

"Whoa," she murmured to herself, walking slowly around the half-pipe as Mikey effortly flipped and kicked through the air, never losing his board or his balance. He whooped happily when he came back down to the ground, knees bending under the weight of his landing. He jumped up and over railings, grinded on the metal and did complicated flips in the air. At one point, he disappeared out of view and Melanie peered over the edge of the bowl. She barely contained a shriek when he popped up in front of her, landing to her left and spinning effortlessly until he came to a perfect stop and laughed.

Melanie clapped slowly and approached the board, giving Mikey and his ride a pleased once-over. "Very nice," she commended. Mikey shrugged and continued to kick the board under his feet, shifting it around as he spoke.

"Hey, you killed me at one of the only things in the world I'm better than my brothers at," he informed her. "I had to show you up at something!" He dropped all the wheels to the concrete once more but continued moving, never looking down or losing his balance. Melanie wandered up and patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"If it makes you feel any better, today I tried to suntan on the back patio," she informed him with a scrunched nose. "... but I forgot about those lattices hanging over the top and now I look like a waffle."

A part of her delusional mind registered a degree of achievement when the turtle laughed in delight. "I like the way you describe things," he told her, his tone honest and unfiltered in a way Melanie rarely heard. Something about it softened her normally defensive approach to strangers. She wished she could say things in earnest without sounding rude, but somehow, her tone never managed the degree of ease and kindness Michelangelo's did.

"Thanks," she told him, and the flush from the day they met somehow found its way into her cheeks once more. Mikey hopped off the skateboard and gingerly nudged it her way. "You ready?" Melanie eyed the board uncertainly. "I won't let you fall," he promised, and there it was again - the most sincere voice she'd ever heard, sweeter than a puppy trying to climb into a shoe. Melanie pretended to take a very deep, dramatic breath before stepping onto the board with two feet.

"Just get used to the feel of it first," the turtle instructed her. Melanie switched her feet back and forth a bit, feeling the wheels crunch beneath her. She shrieked with one of the little jolts felt too fast, too uncertain -

A pair of hands immediately grabbed her arms and steadied her. She glanced up at Mikey's smiling face and was glad when he remained close. Instead of letting her go, he curled his hands carefully at her elbows and pulled her along on the board. "Eek!" Melanie giggled, her fingers jumping up to snatch at his forearms. _What a strange texture, _she thought vaguely, flexing her fingers on his skin. It was different. She liked it.

Mikey slowly turned her in a circle on the board, never letting go of her. When the speed got to be too much and Melanie toppled forward, he caught her easily and righted her on the board again. The brunette flushed and bit her lip, feeling like an awkward middle schooler until she noticed the brief look of surprise and uncertainty on Mikey's features. It disappeared behind his smile again, though, his hands finding a suitable spot on her upper-arms. "Ready?" he asked, breaking her out of her train of thought.

Melanie balked. "Wait, what - Agh!"

Mikey's hands released her and Melanie rolled on, her eyes wide and her lips parted. The skateboard was comically slow - she wasn't even pushing - but without Mikey there to steady her, it was terrifying. Still, she kept on the board and scooted herself along. "See?" Mikey called to her excitedly. "You're doing it!"

"Hell yeah!" Melanie called out, shifting both of her arms into a strongman pose as she rolled along. However, she dropped them when Mikey's eyes widened. A shriek escaped her as the board tipped over the edge of the bowl, but she was quickly snatched back from the edge and into a pair of arms.

"Oooh, God!" Melanie all but clinged to Mikey, who dragged her from where the edge dropped away. The skateboard rolled down lazily and came to a stop at the bottom, leaving the two of them at the top. Mikey chuckled quietly and set Melanie on her feet again.

"Whoops. You almost wiped out, girly." he informed her ominously, blinking a pair of twinkling blue eyes.

Melanie flushed even harder. "God, I'm like, the most uncoordinated person ever," she laughed, pushing her hair back from her face. Mikey stepped away from her and scuttled down to the bottom of the bowl to get the board. "You make it look so easy." Instead of getting back up using the board, though, he simply ran a few quick steps up the side of the bowl and then flipped up to the top again, landing smoothly in front of her.

"Nah, I've been doing it for like, my whole entire life." He tucked the board under his arm. "But when I was little, I used to fall all the time and Raph told me to tape my feet to the board and that would help." He raised an eyebrow ridge, his mouth twisted into a hilarious grimace. "Don't do that. Raph totally lies."

Melanie snickered, and when Mikey dropped the board in front of her again, she stepped onto it cautiously. Her hands immediately reached for him and he steadied her carefully, pulling her around once more. "So why didn't I meet you when I met your brothers?" Melanie asked curiously, her hands on his shoulders.

Mikey glanced up at her face - he'd been watching her feet - and then his smile was in place once more. "I was probably at work."

"Work?" Melanie couldn't help but be surprised. "You have like, an actual job?"

"Yeah!" Mikey said enthusiastically. "I work at Murakami-san's! I do stuff in the kitchen, like wash dishes or help prepare some of the food. I only get to work like 15 hours a week, 'cause I still gotta' train and go out on patrol and stuff, but it's totally awesome. He lets me jam and stuff while I'm working." He tapped something on his belt and Melanie realized it was a well-worn iPod with earbuds wrapped around it.

"Nice," Melanie grinned, her fingers curling on his shoulders. "April told me you guys help keep the city safe. That's pretty amazing. Sounds exhausting, though." The skateboard beneath her feet continued to roll, the gritty noise of gravel crunching underneath echoing behind their conversation.

Mikey nodded. "Sometimes it's lame, but only 'cause every once in a while you have to wait forever for something to happen and it drives me crazy to just sit around," the turtle told her, shifting the board underneath her feet with his own so that it turned direction. Melanie gripped closer to him and he laughed at her, not unkindly. He gave her arms a quick tug so that she picked up speed and Melanie gasped and closed her eyes. "Don't close your eyes! How's your brain supposed to work?" Mikey yelped, stopping the board again.

Melanie giggled and hopped off, a deep breath rattling her chest. "Okay, I think you can get on it now."

Mikey jumped on the board with no hesitation and switched his feet back and forth. Melanie leaned against a stone bench and watched.

"So ..." she paused, trying in a rare moment of etiquette to frame her question appropriately. "Does it ever get hard to do what you guys do... knowing that no one in the city even knows who you are?" Mikey blinked his blue eyes at her and tilted his head. Melanie bit her lip. "I mean, you guys risk your lives and only a handful of people even know about it. Doesn't that bother you?"

Mikey looked thoughtful. The skateboard shifted left and right beneath him. "Nope," he answered honestly.

"Why not?" Melanie asked, curiosity piqued.

Mikey shrugged, his smile never wavering. "Because I like what we do. I mean," he waved a hand. "I get to get out of the sewers... go out in the city..." The skateboard crunched lightly. "I get to hang out with my brothers!" His smile shifted into a full grin. "And even though most people don't know it, we save lives. What's not to like about that?"

"But aren't you ever scared?" she asked incredulously.

"All the time," he responded immediately.

Melanie smiled and shook her head. "So what do you do when you're afraid?"

Mikey kicked up the skateboard. "Fight anyway." A pause and his grin shifted into a sheepish smirk. "Well, most of the time."

Melanie sat on the arm of the stone bench and Mikey moved to stand in front of her, skateboard in hand. He tossed it around, as if he was fighting the urge to stay still. Melanie put her chin in her hands. "If I have my brothers with me, I'll always fight," Mikey told her, and even though he was still smiling, something different in his tone caught Melanie's attention. She shifted towards him, her hands balancing on the bench behind her and her feet drawn into the seat. She started to say something, but stopped and simply watched him instead. A rare moment of silence floated between them, and to Melanie's surprise, it was Mikey who spoke up first.

"After Donnie died, though, I didn't fight for a while."

A frown touched Melanie's face. Her eyes roved Mikey's expression, which held a hint of a smile framed by something much deeper. He continued to toss the skateboard in his hands, his eyes low. "And Donnie didn't even die in a fight. He died in an explosion," he glanced up at her and shrugged. "But like, every time I looked at my weapons, I just felt sick." He dropped the board to the ground again and shifted it back and forth with one foot.

"So how'd you get over it?" Melanie asked softly, her eyes never leaving him.

"I didn't," he admitted, his eyes meeting hers. It was the first time she'd seen him without a smile since they'd met. The frown lasted mere moments before it was gone, his blue eyes lighting up once more. "But one day I picked up my weapons and - I don't know, I just felt better. Like, maybe I couldn't bring Donnie back or change the way I felt about it, but at least I knew what to do with these." He nodded down at his weapons, which Melanie had stolen a few curious glance at. She looked to them now, her feet shifting out from underneath her to bring her standing in front of Mikey again. She quirked her lips at him and touched his arm.

"You're ... really brave, Mikey."

Mikey's smile returned in full force, even though he shook his head at her. "Nah, my brothers are brave. I'm what Donnie always called _unrealistically optimistic_," he sounded out the last two words syllable-by-syllable, as if he had to slow them down to process them.

Melanie giggled. "Really?"

"Yep. Like Raph or Leo deal with things by beating them up - either in their heads or with their fists," Mikey told her matter-of-factly, holding up a three-fingered fist for emphasis. "But I like to just think about happy things to make me feel better. It helps more, ya know? Like, yeah, some things are sad. But there are plenty of great and awesome things to think about too. Things that make me happy."

"Like what?"

He paused and then said candidly, "Like being here right now."

Melanie bit her lip to suppress a smile and failed horribly. She and Mikey shared a quiet laugh that was interrupted by a beeping of Melanie's phone. She glanced at it and gave Mikey a rueful glance. "Looks like we're in the clear. April said I can come home now."

Mikey picked up the board. "Well then," he said, gesturing grandly. "We should be off!"

* * *

Melanie glanced at the patio gate of the townhome. She could see April's silhouette just inside the kitchen, hovering near the sink. Mikey paused near the gate, waiting to make sure she got in safely. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight," Melanie turned to face him. "I - I had a lot of fun, actually." She tugged at a piece of her hair, her eyes lowered. Damn it, April was right. She was being shy! The end was near.

"Me too," Mikey told her, his tone chipper. He then dropped into a dramatic bow. "Good night, Queen of Battle Rage."

Melanie snickered, her eyes catching his as he turned to move away. "Hey, uh - " she touched his arm, a breathy laugh escaping her. "What.. um, what're you doing next weekend?"

Mikey's lips quirked. "Something with you," he said easily. "Any ideas?"

A surprised laugh escaped her and made Melanie's cheeks burn. "Oh - okay, um. Zombie movie night here?"

"I'll bring the popcorn," he dropped the skateboard and hopped onto it, flashing her one of his signature grins. "Until then!" Melanie barely managed a wave before he darted off, disappearing into the darkness. Melanie ran a cooling hand over her neck and stepped inside, unable to wipe the pleased smirk off her face. Oh, April was _never _going to let her live this down.

And that was okay.

* * *

Author's Note: I don't think this even counts as a one-shot. Why do I write so many words. And yes, they went on a real date and it was adorable.


End file.
